I received this book on Netgalley as an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This book was just okay. I honestly had to power through it because I just didn't find any of the characters terribly interesting. I especially did not like Kay. How does a woman who made a monumentally bad decision get so lucky in the end? I understand that the author is looking at the concept of friendship to the people in the story but I just couldn't get into it. The ending was pretty good but not the "wow" I wanted to justify finishing the book. I wish the characters were a little more fleshed out and the development of the story just a little better.

I liked the descriptions of photos dotted throughout. Clues to key events in Kays past but also her uni project.

I wasn't sure i would warm to Kay, and i don't feel I ever did, really. I find it harder to enjoy a book properly if I don't connect with the main protagonist.

The storyline is thought-provoking. Ruminating on life and the choices we make, the things we say, the impact they have. Realising and cherishing (or regretting) friendships and relationships. Fate taking things out of our hands. The paths our lives take. The experiences we have.

I enjoyed the subtle bits of humour that made me smile often about everyday observations. Kay and I share the same sense of humour. Indeed, we share the same worries about friendships, if anything has gone wrong, that it is our fault. Sometimes, that is true, but it is not intentional, just social clumsiness or not being totally aware of a situation.

I felt that the book was a bit longer than it needed to be, but it was well written and well thought out. I'll certainly know the signs of a gambler now!

Katie is expecting Rose, her very best friend to be her maid of honor at her second marriage, but Rose is a no show. Even worse, Rose sends a note that wishes Katie well in her marriage, but to never contact her again. Katie is heartbroken and bothered as to why.
Katie decides to look up old friends that she and Rose had shared to find out if they know what happened. I mistakenly thought this was a mystery book. But I guess for Katie it was a mystery.
Told in dual timelines, Katie comes to some conclusions about herself and what she remembers versus what really happened.
Not a mystery, but a story of how some of our friends are like the ebb and flow of an ocean. They come and stay for a while, but then they silently disappear. But others are meant to stay and be our best friend. Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the eARC. This review is my personal opinion.

This is at heart a mystery story as to what happened between two friends to cause an estrangement, I really enjoyed it.

A light, funny, heartfelt novel about friendships and second chances.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Bookouture for this ARC.

Kay's best friend Rose doesn't show up to Kay's wedding and Kay is devastated. When Rose tells her to never contact her again, Kay has no idea why. She starts to question all of the relationships she's ever had and learns thinks about herself and begins to wonder if she is the reason Rose does not want her in her life anymore.

This is a book that will get you thinking about your relationships and your life.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC of The Friendship list which releases August, 18, 2025.

Beth Miller is a new author for me. She's written a few books before this, some of which include the same characters from this book. In this standalone story, Kay, who is middle-aged with adult children, is getting married to a man she's fallen head-over-heels with after a short courtship. Her wedding promises to be perfect, but her best friend Rose has failed to show up, and Kay has no idea why.. This isn't like her at all, and Kay spends her wedding day worrying about what could be wrong. As time goes on, Rose still refuses to see her sending Kay on a journey to try to understand what she, Kay, could have done to create this riff between them, bad enough to cause her best friend to abandon her on one of the most important days of her life. This was a great read for me. Interesting as Kay examines all of her relationships to figure out why she's not a better friend, wife, and mother. Her quest sends her into the past, the distant past, to figure out if what happened years ago could have affected her relationships today. The characters are well-developed, and the story is full of angst along with humor as she navigates through real-life situations that any of us may face during our lifetimes. I was invested throughout as I wondered if I would handle things in a similar way. Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for bringing this book to my attention. Pub date is right around the corner on August 18, 2025.

Sometimes friends are more like family, but how well do you know someone? On what should be the happiest day of Kays life she is let down by her best friend and maid of honour. In looking for the reason why Kay uncovers a lifetime of memories and discovers herself. This is an interesting and thoughtful read.

The friendship list is an amazing book. I found myself identifying so much with Kay and her circle of friends! Luckily for me not so much with the men in her life haha
Absolutely brilliant!

Thank you to the publisher, Bookouture, for making this available as an ARC on NetGalley. The premise sounded good, so I request it even though I was unfamiliar with the author. Overall, I liked the book, I just can't say I "really" liked it. Perhaps it was a little too depressing, with sad characters nd storylines. but everyone is flawed in reality. some of the themes I liked:
. How well do you every really know someone? How long does that take?
. People might not tell you all of their secrets because they don't want you to see them differently; they want you to see them as the person they want to be.
. The final minutes of someone's life aren't more intrinsically important than the weeks, months, years of the relationship that preceded them.
. It's hard to parent grown children.

The Friendship List is a story of family, love and friends but most of all about the friends who are family. Kay knows that when her friend Rose disappears from her life that something serious must have happened but she has no idea what or why. I could feel the frustration but more so the worry. I ended up clutching the tissues with tears streaming down my face so while it is emotional it's also laugh out loud funny moments are tender. I didn't have a clue where the story was leading with Rose until about the half way mark and by then I was well and truly invested. A character driven novel that is impossible to forget.

the cover, the blurb, the plot. wow. spot on.
i was drawn into this book from the very first pages and couldn't stop, wouldn't stop. this book had my whole heart. it made my heart swell. Beth has given us a gift with this book. one for the heart and soul. the writing never seemed to lose itself, everything had it perfect place, everything was just as important. the storytelling from this book was top top top tier. loved it.
this is a book will be one to mend your day.
Kay and her best friend are what we like to call chosen family. they are the best friends that have been and will be there forever. so on one of her most important days Kay takes that as a given. on the day of her marriage Rose isn't there. she isn't there? and its not just that she isn't there, there has been no reason given, no text, no calls, no nothing to inform Kay this was going to happen or why.

time later Kay is looking through old photos for her photo degree finishing. each photo holds so much between the ink. it makes her think on things, look upon things and think who she was, who she is. the photos hold so much parts of her and so many memories of those parts.
and there there is the questions always there of what happened between her and Rose. how did she lose their friendship and can anything explain why it happened? the journey she embarks on in these moments makes some surprise revelations and also moments to ponder. and it reaches out and touches us as readers too, some truly emotional moments we have alongside Kay.
this books was everything i could have wished for going in. and more.

Enjoyed reading this book. Took me a little while to get into it and figure out why things were happening, but I would like to hear what happens next.

LOVED this book!! The Friendship List by Beth Miller was such an amazing book. It was way more than your average feel-good story. I was immediately swept away by this tale of love, loss, friendship, and romance.

On her wedding day, Kay is waiting for her best friend Rose to arrive for the ceremony, but Rose is a no-show. Worse than that, Rose wants nothing more to do with her, but Kay can't figure out why. After a comment made by her ex-husband and her preparation for a photo exhibit for her photography degree, Kay embarks on a journey of self-discovery, navigating through the good and bad times in her life. She questions herself as a daughter, wife, mother, and friend. The journey yields a few surprises and truths along the way.

This emotional story was brilliantly written with well depicted characters. The tenderness in the exploration of Kay's memories kept me reading just one more chapter. As a new to me author, Beth Miller gifted me a very welcome surprise with the emotional rawness of her storytelling. I absolutely enjoyed this book and very highly recommend it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the advanced copy

Took a while for me to get into this book. While the underlying theme of friendship and finding yourself had potential, this wasn’t at the top of my list. Thanks NetGalley for an arc.

Kay's best friends, Rose, was supposed to be her maid of honor, but she didn't show up for the wedding. When Kay contacted her, she said I just can't do this and don't contact me again. As Kay was going through photos, she thought maybe she could find out what happened by going back into their past. After writing down the list of friends and where they lived, she went in search of answers. Her journey takes her to her and Rose's past, where she discovers things she didn't know before.
As her journey continues, she starts learning things about herself, and she sees things she had missed. Her journey will take her through highs and lows, tears and discovery. The book kept me reading, and toward the ending of this stage of her journey, things changed and I can't tell you anymore. I want you to be surprised like I was.
I received an ARC from Bookouture through NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this tender gem of a book. The story of why Rose didn't attend Kay's wedding is beautifully told and keeps you reading just one more chapter...! Beth Miller has filled 'The Friendship List' with well written characters -some more likeable than others. Keep the tissues handy as there are a few emotional moments as Kay reflects on her life. Thank you NetGalley, author and publisher for an early read.

On what should have been the happiest day of her life, her wedding day. Kay’s best friend is no where to be seen and when she finally hears from her the message is don’t contact me again. No matter what she tries Rose wants nothing to do with her and she has no idea why. As she struggles with the loss she starts to question all those relationships she has had over the years and starts a quest to try and discover if the problems lie with her. Could she be the reason, Rose no longer wants to be her friend? Well, looking back at her past bring her the answer she needs. Does she need to start looking closer to home. Okay is broken Heart find out the answer she requires oh will she work out that maybe things are not quite what they seem.

A really engrossing book which was so beautifully written and tender it touched my heart in many ways. It deals with the sudden ending of a long friendship which Kay has no idea why. She decided to investigate from old friends and find out what went wrong. My thanks to netgalley and the publisher's for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

This book was a pleasure to read - a story of friendship, family and love. Family isn't always blood relations, but those people who you find as you travel through life, who stick with you through the good and the bad, the joy and the sadness. Kay honestly thought her best friend, Rose, would be by her side forever, however on one of the most important days of her adult life as she marries the man of her dreams, Murray, Rose is nowhere to be found. No message, no reason that Kay can determine for Rose not to be there. As Kay prepares for her photo exhibit, the culmination of her photography degree - something she has waited three decades to finish after leaving university as a young woman due to an unexpected pregnancy - she finds herself exploring who she is as a friend, mother, partner, person as she looks at old photos and recalls part memories. How did she lose Rose's friendship, did it have anything to do with her new marriage, could she fix the situation? This is a really beautiful story that draws on genuine emotions and really lovely relatable moments. I think for me the exploration of Kay's memories of her last moments with her mother were truly heartbreaking and touching. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read and provide my honest opinion.